How mixed messages

Little Mix member Jade Thirlwall shares a heartfelt message celebrating the girl group's achievements before heading on a hiatus. Posted to Instagram , Thirlwall shared a few pictures with the other members of Little Mix, Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock , to her 9 million followers. The viral post has over 200,000 likes and 3,000 comments. "Sat in a hotel room on my own and finally starting to grasp the scale of all this and what we've achieved. This is my last soppy post I swear," the singer began her lengthy caption. She continued, "We f**king did it. What we dreamt of all those years ago. We worked our arses off, proved a lot of people wrong, we poured our hearts into our music, we got each other through heartache, bettered ourselves, we cried and we cried laughing nearly every day, broke records, inspired, we shared every misery and lived every victory. We did it all together. We became one of the biggest girl groups in history." She concluded her post that the … [Read more...] about “We did it”: Jade Thirlwall posts heartfelt message about Little Mix hiatus

The name of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister was missing from a new list of the ruling Workers’ Party’s politburo, according to state media on Monday, raising questions about her status after several years of increasing influence. The party held elections on Sunday for its Central Committee at a congress, which maps out diplomatic, military and economic policy goals over the next five years. Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister, remained a member of the Central Committee but was not included in its politburo, lists released by the North Korean state news agency, KCNA, showed. In 2017, Kim became only the second woman in patriarchal North Korea to join the exclusive politburo after her aunt Kim Kyong Hui. South Korea’s intelligence agency said in August she was her brother’s “de facto second-in-command”. But the signals were mixed for observers of the reclusive regime. Her absence from the politburo list comes days after she took the leadership podium for the first time … [Read more...] about Mixed Signals for North Korean Leader’s Sister as Kim Seeks to Cement Power

In June last year, Madkam Hidme from Gumpad village in the dense forests of Sukma in South Chhattisgarh, was raped and killed, allegedly by security forces. She was 23. The governing authorities of Bastar celebrated Madkam’s death, calling it the killing of a hardcore Maoist. For the people of Gumpad, this compounded the tragedy. Who could they turn to for justice? They sent a message to Soni Sori, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader in Bastar. Soni quickly launched and led a sustained public campaign to secure justice for Madkam’s family. The case was taken to the Chhattisgarh High Court, which ordered the exhuming of the woman’s body for a second autopsy and, subsequently, a judicial probe. Soni did not stop there. She launched a ‘tiranga yatra’ (tricolour march) from Dantewada to Gumpad — part of the Red Corridor — and hoisted the national flag on Independence Day 2016, something even heavily armed security forces have been unable to do in the past years. How did this former … [Read more...] about My method is a mix of Gandhi and Bhagat Singh: Soni Sori

A ndrei Molodkin would admit he has a thing for blood. He enjoys its colour, its deep sanguine tones. He appreciates too, its viscosity, how it can sometimes feel as sticky as crude oil. And he appears to enjoy the shocked reaction and clammy-handed squeamishness of audiences, when he makes use of real blood, in particular real human blood, in his art work. Some have been censored, their labels removed from exhibitions, as though the curators know the trouble that can come with mixing blood with politics, or politics with art. Other times he has had to defend the validity of his work. Despite that reaction – or perhaps partly because of it – he keeps on using it. … [Read more...] about Russian artist uses blood donated by Ukrainian fighters to send a message to Vladimir Putin

Good old reality TV. This genre, though much younger than, say, the sitcom, quiz show or soap opera, combines elements of all three and has provided some of the most memorable small-screen moments of recent history. It has also had its brushes with my trade (politics) a few times. Arguably, Donald Trump, a former reality TV star of The Apprentice in the US, being elected president of the free world was the high point of this relationship. Here in Britain, George Galloway doing a cat impersonation on Big Brother – while Tory MP Michael Fabricant starred on First Dates – shows how the metaphor that politics is showbiz for ugly people is entwined with reality shows. And that’s before we get into I’m a Celebrity competitors, former Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik and Nadine Dorries , now culture secretary. I reminded Dorries of another episode of her reality TV past last week when I found myself in front of her before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select … [Read more...] about I’m the MP for the ‘Tower Block of Commons’ – and I have a message for Nadine Dorries

A man found a uniquely disgusting way to highlight his girlfriend's habit of leaving her shower plug hole clogged up with hair. To further emphasize his point, he then shared a picture of his handiwork to social media . The resulting image sparked fury online, with the internet divided on whether he was right to air his partner's dirty laundry in public When it comes to relationships , sometimes the little annoyances can add up to a lot. What might start out as an unusual quirk or mild irritant can, over time, become something of an escalating frustration . A recent survey published by Wedding Ideas Magazine, which was commissioned by family law firm Brookman Solicitors, saw married couples quizzed on their other half's most annoying habits. Among the top responses were failing to do chores and poor hygiene . For some, being neat and tidy is something of a deal breaker. While it doesn't look like the man posting to Reddit as Ketchuppacket is planning on breaking … [Read more...] about Man’s “gross” message to girlfriend over hair left in shower sparks anger

Most of Shanghai has stopped the spread of the coronavirus in the community and fewer than 1 million people remain under strict lockdown, authorities said on May 16, as the city moves toward reopening and economic data showed the gloomy impact of China's “zero-COVID" policy. Vice Mayor Zong Ming said 15 out of Shanghai’s 16 districts had eliminated virus transmission among those not already in quarantine. “The epidemic in our city is under effective control. Prevention measures have achieved incremental success," Mr. Zong said at a news briefing. Also Read Shanghai to try to ease 7-week virus lockdown in a few days Supermarkets, malls and restaurants were allowed to reopen on May 16 with limits on the numbers of people and mandated “no contact" transactions. But restrictions on movement remain in place and the subway train system remains closed for now. Even as case numbers fall, city and national authorities have sent mixed messages about the state of … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Most of Shanghai has ended virus spread, 1 million people left in lockdown

Amid the Russia-Ukraine war and all the ruckus about Russian energy imports, the West is emerging as a champion in doublespeak. Even as it wished for India to not buy Russian oil at a discount, the West has vacillated on the issue of buying Russian energy itself, leading to an increase in imports. The European Union is in a particularly hypocritical position, divided by Russia’s ‘blackmailing’ tactics. Not only is it far from weaning off Russian energy imports, but the EU is also on its way to complying with Russia’s ruble payment condition. If media headlines are anything to go by, if at one moment the EU is imposing sanctions on Russian gas imports so as to not bankroll Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in the next moment, it is scrambling to circumvent the same sanctions and bankroll Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Indeed, the bloc is divided over how far its boycott of Russian gas can go and Putin’s “pay in ruble” curveball did the rest of the damage. But after hoodwinking EU countries … [Read more...] about Putin is Winning the Energy War as Europe’s Paradoxical Drama on Russian Gas Imports Rages on

Opposite Parliament, on the other side of the Thames, is the Covid Memorial Wall . Hundreds of messages of condolence, marking the loss of friends and family. Behind each, a family seeking the truth. As if for every heart stencilled on the wall there is a question. What happened? Could it have been done differently? Did the Government fail us? Could lives have been saved? What is the truth? In the pandemic there were, of course, brief glimpses of hope – the furlough, the vaccine rollout, the applause for our heroes. But there were so many failures. The mixed messages, the PPE scandal, the disaster of Eat Out To Help Out . The National Covid Memorial Wall in London ( Image: Jonathan Buckmaster) A PM who carelessly boasted it was OK to shake hands, then days later ended up in hospital. Did you do all you could? Did you keep your promises? Did you follow the science? The new independent inquiry into the handling of the Covid crisis wants to look at … [Read more...] about ‘There were many failures during pandemic – but some Covid truths need no inquiry’

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia seems to be caught between two extremes, with the sun bearing down and temperatures hitting 35°C on one day, and rain pouring until cities are flooded the next. The Fire and Rescue Department also seem to be caught between floods and hot places, monitoring flood-prone areas and fire hotspots around the country. The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) is also sending out mixed messages. Earlier this month, its director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah announced the start of the south-west monsoon which he said would result in hot weather, with a lack of rain or low rainfall. Yesterday, however, MetMalaysia released a heavy rain warning in several states which saw flash floods. Yet, the extreme weather conditions are not “extreme”, say climate experts. It is a normal occurrence due to the south-west monsoon and La Nina, they say. Muhammad Helmi told The Star that Malaysia was also experiencing a “monsoon break”. While the south-west … [Read more...] about Blowing hot and wet